Captain Cook's Three Voyages - Article

Captain James Cook FRS
(Fellow of the Royal Society)

Captain James Cook FRS

James Cook was born in 1728 at Marton (near Middlesbrough), Yorkshire, in 1736 his family moved to Great Ayton, where he attended the village school. At the age of 16, he moved to the coastal village of Staithes where he become apprenticed to a shop keeper.
He didn’t take to shop keeping, so two years later in 1746 he moved to Whitby, where he was taken on by Captain John Walker on as a merchant navy apprentice.
He worked on collier brigs plying coal along the English coast between the Tyne and London, and as part of his apprenticeship, he studied maths, navigation and astronomy.
On completion of his apprenticeship, he began working on merchant ships in the Baltic Sea, and after passing his exams in 1752 he was promoted to mate aboard the Whitby collier brig ‘Friendship’.

In 1755 he joined the Royal Navy as an ordinary seaman on HMS Eagle and began his rise through the ranks. In June 1757 he passed his master’s ticket and joined the frigate HMS Solebay.
Throughout his career he had shown a talent for surveying and map making, and during the 1758 Siege of Quebec he mapped the entrance of the St Lawrence River in Canada, whilst master on board HMS Pembroke.

In 1762, Cook was back in England and married Elizabeth Batts, and they were to have six children.
While Cook was in England, Admiral Lord Colville wrote to the Admiralty suggesting Cook should be employed in more map making. The Admiralty agreed, so in 1763 Cook was instructed to survey the 6000 mile coast of Newfoundland. In the next five years he produced the first large scale accurate maps of the island’s coast, copies of which were still in use 200 years later. Also, while in Newfoundland he conducted astronomical observations, which he communicated back to the Royal Society in London.

After his successes in Newfoundland, Cook was commissioned to command a scientific expedition, jointly funded by the Royal Society and the Royal Navy, to go to Tahiti to observe the 1769 transit of Venus from the South Pacific. After that he should search for the fabled Great Southern land mass known as ‘Terra Australis Incognito’. It was to be the first of Cook’s three voyages of discovery.

Earl of Pembroke leaving Whitby 1768 bound for London

In 1768 the Navy Board had been instructed to find a suitable vessel for the expedition, and a Whitby collier named ‘Earl of Pembroke’ was chosen. Built by Thomas Fishburn of Whitby the boat was designed for difficult weather conditions, it had a shallow draught, sound construction and the ability to sail in shallow waters. She was purchased, renamed ‘Endeavour’, registered as a ‘Bark’ and sailed to Deptford Dockyard in London for a refit.

Captain Cook's Three Voyages of Discovery

First Voyage of Discovery, 1768 - 1771
In Endeavour.

The initial voyage was a combined Royal Navy and Royal Society funded expedition, to observe the transit of Venus across the sun from Tahiti, and seek for the fabled Great Southern Landmass.

The refit of the newly named ‘HMB Endeavour’ was completed by the end of June, and in July the boat was stocked with food, provisions, stores etc. and a crew was assembled.

With the crew on board, the Endeavour left Deptford Dockyard bound for Plymouth, and reached there on 14th July. While in Plymouth, eleven Marines also joined the ship, and just before sailing the two Royal Society Naturalists, Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander, joined the ship.

Engraving of ship on a shore with people

Endeavour arriving in Tahiti, 1769.
Engraving by Antonio Zatta.

The Voyage
The Endeavour, commanded by James Cook, left Plymouth on 26th August 1768 bound for Tahiti, stopping briefly in Madeira, Rio de Janeiro and Terra Del Fuego, they reached Tahiti on 13th April 1769.

On reaching Tahiti, Cook found a likely spot for observing the transit of Venus. He erected a fort, mounted four swivel guns on it, and also set up an Observatory on it, along with two four-pound cannons. They observed the transit of Venus on 3rd of June without a hitch and began to prepare the Endeavour for sea.

They sailed from Tahiti on 13th July visiting the islands of Huaheine and Ulietea where they went ashore to trade with the natives. They then sailed on to Bora Bora, where they repaired some leaks that had occurred. The leaks fixed, on the 9th August they sailed southward in search of the ‘Lost Great Continent’, as Cook had been instructed to do.

On 15th August, Banks noted that they “Crossd the tropick”. On the 29th and for two more nights they observed a comet. They finally sighted the land known as New Zealand on 6th October. For the next six months, they sailed round and chartered both the North and South Islands. That task completed, and the boat ready for sea, on 31st March and decided to head towards home.

They sailed westward hoping to pick up the coast of Van Dieman’s Land, but the first land they sighted was the east coast of Australia, then known as New Holland. They landed at a suitable bay which they named Botany Bay and claimed the land for Britain. While Cook explored and chartered the area the botanists Banks and Solander collected plants and other specimens.

They left Botany Bay on May 6th sailing north along the coast, which they called New South Wales, charting and naming the landmarks on the way.

Repairing the ship in the Endeavour River

On 11th June the Endeavour got stuck on a reef of coral rocks, now known as the ‘Great Barrier Reef’. They threw overboard heavy guns and stone ballast, and anything surplus to requirements to lighten the boat. At high tide the boat floated and they were able to haul her off. The ship was badly damaged, but they managed to ‘limp’ into a river mouth and spent the next seven weeks patching up the vessel. They named the place ‘Cooktown’ and the river ‘Endeavour River’.

They successfully negotiated a safe passage through the barrier reef, and in October 1770 landed in Batvia (Jakarta, Indonesia) for a much needed refit. While in Batvia many of the crew died of Malaria and dysentery. They left Batvia on 26th December and returned home on 12th July 1771.

Upon returning to London, Cook and his crew attained instant celebrity, and Cook was promoted to Commander.

Second Voyage of Discovery, 1772 – 1775
In Resolution, accompanied by Adventure.

Cook's second voyage was commissioned by the Government to circumnavigate the globe as far south as possible and to determine if there was a great landmass ‘Terra Australis’. During the voyage Cook was to test out the new Larcum Kendall Chronometer.

The Voyage
HMS Resolution under the command of James Cook, and HMS Adventure under command of Tobias Furneaux departed Plymouth Sound, bound for the Antarctic, on 13th July 1772.

On reaching Funchal, Maderia they went ashore to re-provision the boats and make observations.
They left Maderia on 2nd August heading for the Cape of Good Hope. On the way they provisioned again in Cape Verde, and on 12th October they observed the eclipse of the moon. They dropped anchor in Table Bay, Cape Town, South Africa on 30th October, and during their stay, the Botanist Andrew Sparrsman joined the expedition.

Engraving of ship and open boat with crew and icebergs

The Ice Islands - Antarctica, 1773.
Engraving by William Hodges.

They set sail from Cape Hope on 27th November 1772, and by early December were sailing in thick fog and seeing ‘ice islands.’ Pack ice soon surrounded both ships, but in the second week of January 1773 they were able to take the ships southward through the ice.

They reached the Antarctic Circle 66 36'S on 17th January, being the first known mariners to do so, and headed northeast. On 8th February in thick fog the Resolution lost contact with the Adventure and headed southeast.

In case they got separated the two captains had pre-arranged to rendezvous at Queen Charlotte’s Sound in New Zealand. The Adventure headed for New Zealand, on the way surveying the coast of Van Dieman’s Land (Tasmania) and arrived at Queen Charlotte’s Sound on 7th May 1773.

Cook in Resolution continued southeast, by the 16th of February they were into ice again. They pushed on through the ice reaching 61 52'S, but due to the extreme weather they decided to head northeast toward New Zealand. They landed in New Zealand on March 28th and rested there for a month doing maintenance, going on botanical expeditions, setting up an observatory, surveying the area, and meeting the native people. On 30th April the Resolution set sail again reaching the rendezvous at Queen Charlotte’s Sound on 17th May.

From June to October the two ships explored the South Pacific reaching Tahiti on 15 th August.
After calling at Tonga on the way back to New Zealand the two ships were separated again by a storm. The Adventure missed the rendezvous, so Cook left a message, buried in the sand, setting out his plan to explore the South Pacific and return to New Zealand.

Furneaux, the Adventure’s captain, decided to return home and buried a message telling Cook so. The Adventure sailed back to Britain via Cape Horn and arrived in England on 14th July 1774. Cook continued to explore the Antarctic spending Christmas in a bay on the west side of Tierra del Fuego, then after passing Cape Horn they explored the South Atlantic, looking for the fabled land mass. They didn’t find it but discovered two islands that they named South Georgia and South Sandwich Isles.

They then headed south until he reached 67 31'S before turning north again and crossing the Atlantic Circle for the third time. They sailed on until they reached latitude 71 10'S at longitude 106 54' on 30th January 1775, but because of solid sea ice could go no further.

They then headed north, completing a huge arc reaching below the equator and New Guinea, before returning to Queen Charlotte’s Sound. On March 17th they sighted land and dropped anchor in Table Bay where the rigging was repaired and provisions taken on board for the homeward journey.

They set sail from the Cape on 27th April and reached home in Portsmouth on 30th July 1775.
Cook's report on his return home proved that Terra Australis was a myth, and the new Larcum Kendal Chronometer enabled him to calculate his longitudinal position much more accurately. He was promoted to Captain and given a honorary retirement from the Royal Navy.

Third Voyage of Discovery, 1776 - 1779
In Resolution accompanied by Discovery

Cook's third voyage was commissioned by the Admiralty to discover if there was a fabled North West Passage from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through the Arctic Ocean.

The Voyage
HMS Resolution commanded by Captain James Cook set sail from Plymouth, bound for Cape Town on 12th July 1776. HMS Discovery commanded by Charles Clerke left on 1st August.
On the way to Cape Town, Cook took on supplies at Tenerife and reached Cape Town on 17th October, and as it was leaking, the Resolution had to be re-caulked. The Discovery arrive at Cape Town on 10th November and needed re-caulking also.

Resolution and Discovery
Painting by Samuel Atkins

The two ships sailed together from Cape Town on 1st December and reached Van Dieman’s Land on 26th January 1777. They took on board water and wood and acquainted themselves with the aborigines there, and arrived in Queen Charlotte’s Sound, New Zealand on 12th February.

The ships left heading for Tahiti, but the wind blew them to Mangalla where they reprovisioned the ships. They decided to ‘go with the wind’, and it blew them to the Friendly Isles’ (Tonga), where they stayed until mid-July before sailing to Hawaii.

They left Hawaii on 2nd February sailing northeast to explore along the west coast of North America, making landfall on the Oregon Coast on 6th March at a place they named Cape Foulweather.

Resolution and Discovery in Nootka Sound.
By John Webber, the official artist on Cook's third voyage. Image credit: Royal Museums Greenwich.

The winds and bad weather forced the ships south, before they could begin to explore the north coast. They anchored in Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island, which Cook named Resolution Cove.

They stayed there for about a month, during which the relations between Cook’s crew and the natives became quite strained. After leaving Nootka Sound, Cook explored and mapped the whole North American coast as far as the Bering Strait in Alaska. He headed up the coast of Alaska until ice blocked his path, so sailed west to the Siberian Coast.

In early September 1778 he followed the Siberian coast back to the Bering Strait. They passed through the Bering Strait into the Arctic Ocean where they were blocked by pack ice. So they decided to return to the Hawaiian Islands for the winter.

When they reached the Hawaiian Islands they could find no good harbour, so the two ships were kept out at sea trading for fruit by means of canoes. On 17th January 1779 they found a shallow bay on the west side of a big island, Hawaii, and as soon as they dropped anchor, hundreds of canoes came out to meet them, and they were lavished with gifts of hogs, greens, coconuts and fruit. The Islanders chiefs thought Cook was the reincarnation of their god ‘Lono’ who had been exiled and was prophesied one day to return. They learnt from the Hawaiians their bay was called Kealakakua.

While there they set up an observatory on shore and set about patching up their sails and repairing their riggings. With the repairs completed and also the Islanders running out food and goods to trade, they departed Kealakakua during ‘kono’ the stormy season of the year.

They had not sailed far before the repaired topmast and the lower foremast had split again. On inspecting the damage, Cook decided the repairs couldn’t be done at sea, so they would have to return to Kealakakua, as it was the only known anchorage in the area.

The Death of Captain Cook
Painting by George Carter, 1781
Image credit: National Library of Australia

On their return, the Islanders were not happy to see the ships return so soon again, as all their resources had been depleted.

A number of quarrels ensued, and during one dispute over a stolen boat on 14th February 1779, Cook and four Marines were killed .

On 20th February Clerke demanded, and obtained, Cook’s unrecognisable remains from the natives. They were identified as being Cook’s by a distinctive scar on his hand. The remains were placed in a coffin, and they were given a burial at sea on 21 st February 1779.

Following Cook’s death, Clerke, who was dying of tuberculosis, took command of the expedition. He made one final attempt to pass beyond the Bering Strait, which failed due to pack ice.

In April 1779 while offshore of Petropavlovsk, Russia, Clerke sent a letter overland containing copies of Cook’s reports along with his own report of Cook’s death. The letters were carried by dog sleds across Siberia, then on horseback, and shipped across the North Sea to England. The letters arrived in London seven months later, six months before the expedition returned.

After passing down the coast of Japan the ships reached Macau, China in first week of December.
From there they followed the old East India trade route to Cape Town.

Clerke died on the return journey on 22nd August 1779, and following Clerke’s death, the command of ‘Resolution’ was taken over by John Gore, and the ‘Discovery’ by James King.

On the return home, a gale blew the ships so far north, they landed in the Orkney Isles. The arrived
in Sheerness, Kent on 4th October 1780.

Mick Haywood's Mainly Yorkshire Miscellany

Whitby Years - Article

Captain Cook and his Voyages of Discovery

Captain James Cook FRS

Captain Cook's Three Voyages of Discovery

First Voyage of Discovery, 1768 - 1771
In Endeavour.

Second Voyage of Discovery, 1772 – 1775
In Resolution, accompanied by Adventure.

Third Voyage of Discovery, 1776 - 1779
In Resolution accompanied by Discovery

About Mick

Links

Mick Haywood's Mainly Yorkshire Miscellany

Whitby Years - Article

Captain Cook and his Voyages of Discovery

Captain James Cook FRS

Captain Cook's Three Voyages of Discovery

First Voyage of Discovery, 1768 - 1771 In Endeavour.

Second Voyage of Discovery, 1772 – 1775 In Resolution, accompanied by Adventure.

Third Voyage of Discovery, 1776 - 1779In Resolution accompanied by Discovery

About Mick

Links

First Voyage of Discovery, 1768 - 1771
In Endeavour.

Second Voyage of Discovery, 1772 – 1775
In Resolution, accompanied by Adventure.

Third Voyage of Discovery, 1776 - 1779
In Resolution accompanied by Discovery